Chapter 3 The Nine Heavens Immortal Art

• “L-Lyssie.”
• Finneas stared blankly at the tightly shut door, his heart aching.
• Contrary to his expectations, the anticipated heartwarming family reunion never occurred. Instead, a scene of desolation unfolded.
• Perhaps one could say, from the moment he was brought back to the mountains by Melvin ten years ago, it was destined to end in tragedy.
• Finneas stood at the doorway, catching his breath for a while, until his emotions gradually settled down.
• He had to admit Melvin's ruthless training had really affected him. He felt as though his blood had turned cold, as if no matter what happened, he could quickly regain his composure.
• Finneas exhaled a heavy sigh, slowly beginning to explain, “Lyssie, I truly went for immortal cultivation back then and was confined in a place for ten years! Only today was I able to come out...”
• Yet, there was not a single response from inside the single-story house.
• “Lyssie, no matter what, now that I'm back, I'm not going anywhere! I don't care at all about things like the relocation compensation. You're my sister, so it's my duty to protect you! From now on, it's just the two of us, brother and sister, depending on each other. I won't let anyone bully you anymore.”
• Creak.
• The gates had been opened.
• Alyssa looked at Finneas with a complicated expression.
• She naturally didn't believe Finneas' claim of being confined in one place for ten years.
• “Does all this talk hold any significance?”
• “Lyssie, after our parents passed away, these years must have been quite tough for you, haven't they?” Finneas said, his heart aching for her.
• “It has nothing to do with you.”
• Alyssa slammed the door shut once again.
• Then, leaning against the door, she clamped her hands over her mouth, tears already streaming down her delicate face.
• She genuinely wanted to be able to rush into her brother's arms like she used to when they were kids, to sob uncontrollably and seek solace from him.
• However, every time she thought about how Finneas had left for a woman after graduating from university, staying away for ten years and causing their parents' death, she found it impossible to forgive him.
• Now that her brother had shown up during such a sensitive period, when their house was about to be demolished and she would receive compensation for the relocation, it was hard not to speculate about his real reason for returning.
• “Lyssie, get some good sleep first. I'll be outside, keeping watch. If you need anything, just call for me,” Finneas uttered softly.
• Then, he found a relatively flat spot in front of the door and settled down cross-legged.
• Right now, his mind was a mess. He needed some time to sort out his thoughts.
• In their quest to find him, their parents tragically lost their lives in a car accident.
• After that, his younger sister had to live a lonely and difficult life all by herself for so many years.
• It was easy to imagine just how much hardship and injustice she must have endured.
• “Since I've returned, no one should even think about bullying Lyssie in the future...”
• Finneas let out a heavy sigh.
• Since his parents had already passed away, his sole focus now was to care for his younger sister and achieve immortality.
• “As for Natalie...”
• Finneas let out another sigh.
• Natalie was indeed his girlfriend back in the day.
• The two of them had been together for seven years, throughout three years of high school and four years of university.
• Though they loved each other, they were ultimately star-crossed, destined to remain apart.
• A decade had passed, and Natalie was now thirty-two. Finneas guessed that she had probably married and had children by now.
• “Forget it, what's the point in pondering over this now? In the end, it was I who let her down.”
• Finneas decided not to dwell on it any further.
• He moved into the lotus pose, breathing in and out meditatively.
• The breathing technique he practiced was known as the “Nine Heavens Immortal Art.”
• According to Melvin, this was a supreme immortal technique, something he had risked his life to obtain from an ancient ruin!
• Unfortunately, this method was not suitable for ordinary people to practice. It could only be cultivated by those with a natural spiritual constitution. That was the reason Melvin had been so excited when he first saw Finneas.
• After everything that happened, Finneas could also guess why Melvin had been so harsh and merciless toward him.
• Melvin was remarkably talented, managing to reach the Judgment phase in this modern era. Unfortunately, he was ultimately unable to overcome the barrenness of this world. At the end of his lifespan, he still hadn't succeeded in achieving immortality.
• Achieving immortality had been Melvin's lifelong obsession.
• Therefore, in the last decade of his life, he sought out Finneas. Pouring all of his lifelong knowledge into the young man, he hoped that Finneas would be the one to break the chains of their world, to shatter the curse that prevented future generations from achieving immortality.
• Under Melvin's inhumane training, Finneas proved to live up to his expectations.
• In merely a decade, he had become a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core phase.
• The path of cultivation was divided into ten phases: Energy Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Projection, Divine Transformation, Void Refinement, Transcendency, Great Ascension, and Judgment.
• Each phase was further divided into numerous sub-phases.
• For instance, the Golden Core phase could be divided into three sub-phases: Core Formation, Core Condensation, and Core Transformation. Similarly, the Nascent Soul phase could also be divided into three sub-phases: Soul Formation, Soul Condensation, and Soul Transformation.
• Every minor breakthrough of a sub-phase was a major advancement for the cultivator, resulting in an exponential increase in their strength.
• One could say that in this modern era, Finneas was virtually unstoppable with his peak Golden Core phase cultivation!
• Naturally, this was just something Melvin had told him when he was still alive.
• As for the specifics, even Finneas wasn't quite sure, since he hadn't encountered any other cultivators up until now.
• The night passed in the blink of an eye.
• Finneas opened his eyes after his cultivation session, exhaling a breath of stale air.
• After breaking through the Golden Core phase, it wouldn't be easy for him to make further progress.
• Due to the scarcity of spiritual energy in this world, it would take an incredibly long time to form the Nascent Soul through mere meditation and cultivation alone. To break through quickly, he would have to find alternative methods.
• At that moment, the gates of the single-story house opened.
• Alyssa, carrying a basin full of clothes, stepped out, ready to wash them in the small pond nearby.
• Immediately, Finneas was by his sister's side.
• “Lyssie, doing laundry? Let me help you with that.”
• “No need,” Alyssa responded coldly.
• Last night, she had observed Finneas sitting outside all night.
• Yet, even so, it was impossible to erase the resentment in her heart.
• She kept thinking that her brother's return this time around was most likely due to the demolition and relocation.
• “There's no need to be polite with me.”
• Finneas promptly snatched the basin and headed toward the pond.
• As soon as he crouched down, he noticed something was amiss. This was because the washbasin was filled with women's undergarments...
• To wash... or not to wash?
• Finneas was truly in a bit of a bind.
• Although Alyssa was his own sister, he still acknowledged the inherent differences between men and women.
• Moreover, using his hands to scrub this type of intimate clothing didn't seem all that appropriate, and it was rather awkward...
• That being said, as Finneas gazed at the faded undergarments, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness in his heart.
• For a girl, it was essential to frequently purchase new undergarments, but it seemed like Alyssa had been wearing the same ones for years.
• “What's wrong? Can someone like you also feel embarrassed?”
• Alyssa stood on the shore, her tone indifferent as she spoke.
• “These clothes are too old. Don't worry, I'll buy you new ones later,” Finneas promised softly while washing the laundry.
• “Stop pretending!”
• Alyssa turned her head and walked into the house.
• Upon seeing this, Finneas couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.